Letters to the Editor published Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010

December 04, 2010 06:00 am

What happened to the sweet water?

Editor:

I’ll try to make this short and sweet. Can anyone tell me what has happened to our sweet water we used to have in Brookings?

Now you turn on the tap and it’s like drinking out of a swimming pool; the chlorine is so bad, it burns your eyes when you shower. We don’t need that much chlorine or any at all. It even makes your lawn brown when you water in the summer.

I think Brookings water department does a fine job. I hope they can fix this problem, or maybe they can buy everyone in Brookings bottled water. City water is not drinkable any more.

Please do something.

Thanks.

Bob Rose

Brookings

Lost kitty is happy and back home

Editor:

Two weeks ago, we took our kitty on a harness and leash for a walk in Azalea Park. He spooked at something, got free, and ran into the brambles near the walkway through the park.

Lots of people were walking dogs, working on Christmas lights, and enjoying the park. They all stopped to help us or promised to call if they saw him. Thanks to all of you from the docent at the Capella to the young men near KidTown who ran completely around the park to look for him, KURY radio, the Curry Coastal Pilot, and others.

Our friends, Vickie Cooley and Charlotte Rering, came and began searching both before and after dark. They know our cat and thought he might come to them. All of you probably encouraged him to stay in the area with your calls. Charlotte sent pictures of him to all her friends.

When everyone had gone home, and the lights were off, we went back with food. Finally, around 9 p.m., answering our “here kitties” with a faint meow, and now hungry, our cat snuck out of the bushes and came to us. It was a stormy, wet night and we were so happy to see him.

Thanks to all of you. We asked for no help. This community just responds!

George and Deanna Elsom

Brookings

Medicares ‘death panel’ profiling

Editor:

Please note the partial listing of local draft board classifications and draft exemptions in effect during the Vietnam War era:

1-A: Available for military service.

1-O: Conscientious objector available for civilian work contributing to the national health, safety or interest.

1-OM: Medical specialist conscientious objector available for civilian work contributing to the national health, safety or interest.

1-S: Student deferred by statute, (H)-high school; (C)-college.

1-W: Conscientious objector performing civilian work in the national health, safety or interest.

The 4F classification was regularly used to give “gays,” or those showing up “in drag” for their induction physical, an exemption from the draft.

It’s amazing how many conscientious objectors back then owned handguns, or hunting rifles, or were avowed “urban revolutionaries.” Curiously, the elite politicians today who have brought you Obamacare and its “death panels” had no second thoughts when it came to taking advantage of the local “death panel” draft board classification system to get out of the “unjust” Vietnam War. Doubtless, the Medicare “death panels” will have a similar profiling system for doling out medical exemptions to the well connected.

D.F. Greene

Brookings

Need transparency in local government

Editor:

I just finished reading the article in Wednesday’s paper (Pilot, Dec. 1) regarding the recent school board meeting and those who spoke concerning the John Birch Society video shown to middle school students.

I would like to clarify what happened when I spoke. I had no idea that mentioning a teacher’s name was not permitted until it was pointed out. I did not have anything else to say about this teacher. My comments were only about the video being entirely inappropriate to show in a school setting unless the purpose is to indoctrinate young, impressionable children to one political side.

There seemed to be a great deal of discussion about whether these complaints should be shared at an open school meeting. I am pleased that the issue was handled this way for the following reason. The principal said that when she asked the teacher about why she showed the video she (the principal) was told that the teacher did not know it was a John Birch video and had only shown a quick clip of it.

My information is that this is not the case; most of the video was shown to this class, not just a short clip.

So, if I or anyone else had tried to bring this information to the school superintendent instead of the school board directly, I believe it might have been handled inappropriately. I do hope in the future that there is more transparency not less transparency in all areas of our local government.

Anne O'Dell

Brookings

City’s annexation to CHD scares me

Editor:

They just don’t get it. We are in a deep recession. People are losing
their jobs, homes, cars and lives as they used to be — and the
Brookings City Council is considering helping Curry County Health
District annex Brookings into the Curry Health District so taxes can be
increased to fund the Health District that is in debt and dying
financially.

According to their own records, both the Curry Health District’s
Brookings Medical Center on Fifth Street, and the Rush Surgery Center on
Chetco Avenue owned by Curry Health District are, and have been, money
losers.

The one thing that bothers me most is the fact that the five-member
Curry Health District Board of Directors, without a vote or any input
from the citizens of their district, arrogantly saddled the people of
Gold Beach and Port Orford with a loan of 13.5 million dollars to build
the Fifth Street Curry Health District’s clinic, urgent care unit or
hospital, depending on who’s talking, in Brookings.

Brookings is not even in the Curry Health District’s boundary. That’s
why they want to annex Brookings and the rest of Curry County into
their health district to pay for their extravagance.

There’s nothing that limits the Curry Health District board from
spending whatever amount of the district’s money they choose, with no
accountability.

That scares me, and it should scare you.

They’ve said they also intend to borrow an additional $24 million to
renovate the hospital in Gold Beach. Where is all the money going to
come from to pay for this? This is a poor county of only 21,500 people,
and many are on fixed incomes.

Carroll Norris

Brookings

District trying to get our tax dollars

Editor:

If you live in Brookings, you might check out the agenda for the
Brookings City Council workshop being held at 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, at
City Hall in Brookings.

There is a lot of your Brookings tax money being considered for dispersal.

Curry Health District is ready with a resolution to annex the City of
Brookings, so you can be taxed for their new health facility.
Interceptor costs will be discussed, along with other issues. Citizens
can attend.

If you care about your rising taxes, you might like to hear about it firsthand — so you can worry more.

The URL with the detailed agenda is:

brookings.or.us/Council/2010Ag&Min/Dec2010/12-06-10CCWorkshop.htm

Duncan Lagoe

Harbor

Need help to fulfill 500 winter wishes

Editor:

This letter is a request for donations to a worthy cause.

Unfortunately, not every student at Brookings-Harbor High School
(BHHS) will be able to make a Christmas list. While there may be those
who will find hundreds of dollars worth of presents under the tree,
others will wake to a cold house and no presents at all. Of course, we
cannot tell the difference between those in need and those with plenty.
What we can do is make a difference this holiday season for everyone.

At BHHS, we have put together a program called Winter Wishes which
enables every student to be granted one wish. It can be anything from a
simple chocolate bar, all the way to something as special as dinner
plans with a parent or parents. The goal of the program is to make every
student feel important and remembered. We are asking for your help to
grant these very important wishes.

In order to fulfill each of the 500 winter wishes we received this
year, it will cost about $2,500. Any donation you can make will get us
closer to being able to give every student at least one gift for the
holidays from the BHHS Leadership Class.

To make a contribution to the Winter Wishes program, contact Emilee
Bottoms (541-661-1683) or Liz Lindley (541-661-4255) or mail your
donation to the BHHS Leadership Class, Brookings-Harbor High School, 625
Easy St., Brookings, OR 97415, with the notation: Winter Wishes.

If at all possible, please do so by Monday, Dec. 6. We trust that you will give as you are able.

Emilee Bottoms

Senior Class President

Liz Lindley

ASB Secretary

BHHS

Brookings

Donations of music instruments sought

Editor:

The nonprofit Stagelights Musical Arts Community is seeking donations
of musical instruments in good working condition for its music lesson
program for local youth and adults.

If you have unwanted string, wind or horn instrument, or drums and
percussion in the closet, please dust them off and drop them off at the
Curry Coastal Pilot, 507 Chetco Ave., or Cousins and Co. Music store,
615 Chetco Ave.

The instruments will be loaned to students in our lesson program who
cannot afford to buy their own. Scholarships and other discounts are
also available to students who need financial assistance.

Music lessons happen at Stagelight’s new storefront at 517 Chetco Ave. (just south of the Redwood Theater).

A grand opening of the storefront and a “meet and greet” with lesson
program instructors is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18.

To have an instrument picked up or for more information about
Stagelights or the lesson program, visit www.stagelights.us or call
541-412-3404.

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